The ordinary imperative commands the person you are talking to: чита́й! ("read!"), иди́те! ("go!"). But you often need to give a command that includes yourself ("let's go") or that aims at someone not present ("let him come in"). Russian builds these analytically — with the helper words дава́й(те) for "let's" and пусть / пуска́й for "let him/her/them" — rather than with any special conjugated form. This is the key insight for English speakers: "let's" is дава́й + a verb, not a one-word command, and "let him do it" is пусть + an ordinary present/future verb, where пусть never changes. There is no single Russian word that translates let's or the imperative let; you assemble them.
"Let's" — the дава́й(те) construction
To propose doing something together, use дава́й (informal/singular addressee) or дава́йте (plural or polite addressee) plus a verb. Literally дава́й is the imperative of дава́ть, "to give" — so "дава́й пойдём" is etymologically "give [that] we go," but it has frozen into the standard "let's." There are two patterns, split by aspect:
1. дава́й(те) + perfective 1st-person-plural future — for a single, concrete joint action ("let's [do it]").
Дава́й пойдём в кино́ сего́дня ве́чером.
Let's go to the movies tonight. — дава́й + пойдём (perfective 1pl future): one specific proposed action. (informal)
Дава́йте посмо́трим, что из э́того полу́чится.
Let's see what comes of it. — дава́йте + посмо́трим (perfective 1pl): a polite/plural 'let's.' (neutral)
2. дава́й(те) + imperfective infinitive — for starting an ongoing or repeated activity ("let's [be doing]"). Note the asymmetry: the perfective takes the 1pl future form, but the imperfective takes the infinitive.
Дава́йте чита́ть по о́череди.
Let's read in turns. — дава́йте + чита́ть (imperfective infinitive): begin an ongoing activity.
Дава́й не бу́дем спо́рить из-за тако́й ерунды́.
Let's not argue over such nonsense. — negative 'let's' uses дава́й + не бу́дем + imperfective infinitive.
The bare 1st-plural: пойдём!, идём!, пое́хали!
For motion and a few very common verbs, you can drop дава́й entirely and use the bare perfective 1st-plural future as a "let's." This is the most natural, idiomatic way to say "let's go" in everyday speech.
Пойдём! Авто́бус уже́ отхо́дит.
Let's go! The bus is already leaving. — bare пойдём = 'let's go,' дава́й dropped. (informal)
Споём что́-нибудь!
Let's sing something! — bare споём (perfective 1pl) as an invitation. (informal)
Two idiomatic motion forms deserve their own mention. Идём! is the imperfective "let's go / come on" (urging), and Пое́хали! — literally a past-tense form ("we set off") — is the fixed, hugely common "let's go!" for departures by vehicle, journeys, and figuratively "here we go, let's start."
Все гото́вы? Пое́хали!
Everybody ready? Let's go! / Off we go! — Пое́хали is a frozen past-tense 'let's go,' used for any departure or start. (informal)
"Let him / let them" — пусть and пуска́й
To tell someone to let a third party do something — or simply to say "let him/her/them" do it — use the invariable particle пусть (neutral) or its more colloquial twin пуска́й (informal), followed by an ordinary present or future verb in the 3rd person. пусть itself never changes; it is the following verb that is conjugated for person and number.
Пусть он войдёт.
Let him come in. — пусть + войдёт (perfective 3sg future): пусть is invariable, the verb carries the person.
Пусть де́ти игра́ют во дворе́, пого́да хоро́шая.
Let the kids play in the yard, the weather's nice. — пусть + игра́ют (imperfective 3pl present): ongoing permitted activity.
Пуска́й попро́бует сам, е́сли так уве́рен.
Let him give it a try himself, if he's so sure. — пуска́й (colloquial) + попро́бует (perfective 3sg). (informal)
Aspect inside пусть works just like everywhere else: perfective for a single completed action (пусть войдёт = "let him come in [the once]"), imperfective for an ongoing or repeated one (пусть игра́ют = "let them go on playing"). пусть also covers the resigned "let them do whatever they want":
Пусть они́ де́лают, что хотя́т — меня́ э́то бо́льше не каса́ется.
Let them do whatever they want — it's no longer my concern. — пусть + де́лают: a let-them-be-it dismissal.
The elevated wish: да + 3rd person
For solemn wishes, toasts, slogans, and prayers, Russian uses the (literary/formal) particle да plus a 3rd-person verb (usually present or future). This is the construction behind "long live...!" and similar elevated formulas. It is not everyday speech — using it casually sounds theatrical.
Да здра́вствует свобо́да!
Long live freedom! — да + здра́вствует (3sg): the elevated optative for slogans and toasts. (formal/literary)
Да бу́дет свет.
Let there be light. — да + бу́дет: the biblical/elevated wish. (literary)
The чтоб(ы) wish
Closely related is the чтоб(ы) wish — an optative built with the conjunction чтоб(ы) plus a past-tense verb (the same form used in чтобы-clauses and the subjunctive with by). It expresses a strong wish or, when negated, an emphatic warning. It is colloquial-to-neutral and very common in spoken curses and blessings.
Чтоб всё бы́ло хорошо́!
May everything turn out well! / Here's to it all going well! — чтоб + бы́ло (past form): a wish. (informal)
Чтоб я тебя́ здесь бо́льше не ви́дел!
Don't let me see you here again! — чтоб + ви́дел: an emphatic warning/threat, literally 'may I not see you.' (informal)
The double life of дава́й: suggestion vs. agreement
A practical point that trips learners up: дава́й is not only the start of a "let's" — on its own it also means "OK / sure / let's do it" as an answer agreeing to a proposal. Context tells you which: дава́й before a verb proposes; дава́й standing alone (often дава́й-дава́й for urging) accepts.
— Встре́тимся в семь? — Дава́й!
'Shall we meet at seven?' 'Sure! / OK!' — bare дава́й as agreement. (informal)
Ну дава́й, не тяни́, реша́й уже́!
Come on, don't drag it out, decide already! — дава́й as urging/encouragement. (informal)
Common Mistakes
❌ Дава́й идти́ в кино́.
Incorrect for a one-time proposal — a single concrete action takes the perfective 1pl future: дава́й пойдём. The infinitive дава́й + impf is for ongoing activities.
✅ Дава́й пойдём в кино́.
Let's go to the movies. — perfective 1pl future пойдём.
❌ Пусть он войдёт→ Пусти он войдёт / Пустить он войдёт.
Incorrect — пусть is an invariable particle; do not conjugate it. (Пусти is a different verb, 'let go / release.')
✅ Пусть он войдёт.
Let him come in. — пусть never changes; the verb войдёт carries the person.
❌ Дава́й не спо́рить.
Unnatural — 'let's not' normally uses дава́й не бу́дем + imperfective infinitive, not a bare negated infinitive.
✅ Дава́й не бу́дем спо́рить.
Let's not argue. — the standard negative 'let's.'
❌ Здра́вствует свобо́да! (as a slogan, без 'да').
Incomplete — the elevated 'long live' formula requires the particle да: Да здра́вствует... Without it, the verb just means 'is in good health.'
✅ Да здра́вствует свобо́да!
Long live freedom! — да + 3sg, the fixed slogan formula. (formal)
❌ Пусть он де́лал, что хо́чет.
Incorrect — пусть takes a present/future verb, not a past tense. For 'let him do what he wants,' use пусть де́лает.
✅ Пусть он де́лает, что хо́чет.
Let him do what he wants. — пусть + present-tense де́лает.
Key Takeaways
- "Let's" = дава́й(те) + verb, not a one-word imperative: perfective → 1pl future (дава́й пойдём), imperfective → infinitive (дава́й чита́ть); negative → дава́й не бу́дем + impf infinitive.
- The bare perfective 1pl alone is also "let's" (Пойдём! Споём!); idiomatic motion forms: Идём! and the frozen Пое́хали!
- "Let him/them" = invariable пусть / пуска́й (informal) + ordinary present/future verb (Пусть он войдёт; Пусть де́лают, что хотя́т). Never conjugate пусть.
- Aspect inside both constructions behaves normally: perfective = single completed action, imperfective = ongoing/repeated.
- Elevated wishes use да + 3rd person (Да здра́вствует...! — formal/literary) and чтоб(ы) + past (Чтоб всё бы́ло хорошо́! — informal).
- дава́й alone also means "OK / sure" (agreement) — context separates proposal from acceptance.
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- The Imperative: FormationA2 — To build a Russian command you start from the PRESENT/FUTURE stem (the они-form minus its ending), not the infinitive: a vowel stem adds -й (чита́ют → чита́й), a consonant stem with end-stressed 1sg adds -и (говоря́т → говори́, пиши́, иди́), and a consonant stem with fixed stem-stress adds -ь (гото́вят → гото́вь, брось). Add -те for the plural/polite form, and -ся/-сь for reflexives. A handful of high-frequency irregulars (дай, ешь, пей, пой, ляг, поезжа́й) have to be memorized.
- Imperatives: Usage, Softening, and PolitenessB1 — A bare Russian imperative can sound blunt, so this page shows how commands actually work in conversation: ты vs. вы (Извини́ vs. Извини́те), softening with пожа́луйста and не могли́ бы вы…, 'let's' with дава́й(те), third-person пусть/пуска́й, and the crucial twist that invitations take the imperfective (Сади́тесь!, not Ся́дьте!).
- Aspect in the ImperativeB1 — Commands force an aspect choice too: perfective for a single concrete request expecting completion (Прочита́й э́то! Купи́ хлеб!), imperfective for process, habit, and — crucially — polite invitations and 'go ahead' permission (Сади́тесь! Входи́те!); and negative commands flip the default, with imperfective for a prohibition (Не открыва́й!) but perfective for a warning against an accidental result (Не упади́! Не забу́дь!).
- Softening Commands and Making SuggestionsB1 — A bare perfective imperative plus пожа́луйста still sounds curt to Russian ears — politeness lives in aspect and framing. This page gives the graded toolkit: the warm imperfective imperative for invitations (Сади́тесь, Проходи́те), дава́й(те) for joint suggestions, the gold-standard conditional Не могли́ бы вы…?, the -ка softener, and пусть for third-person wishes.
- Чтобы Clauses: Purpose and Indirect WishesB1 — Что́бы ('in order to / so that') follows one rule that governs every 'want/ask/order someone to do' sentence: SAME subject → что́бы + infinitive (Я пришёл, что́бы помо́чь); DIFFERENT subject → что́бы + a past-tense verb (Я хочу́, что́бы ты помо́г). 'I want you to help' has no infinitive in Russian.
- The Perfective (Simple) FutureA2 — The perfective future is a single word: you conjugate a perfective verb with the ordinary present-tense endings (-у/-ю, -ешь/-ишь…) and the result means the FUTURE — прочита́ю 'I'll read (and finish),' напишу́ 'I'll write,' куплю́ 'I'll buy,' позвоню́ 'I'll call.' The trap is that these forms look exactly like a present tense, but a perfective verb has no present, so a conjugated perfective is always future. It names a single completed action with a result, a promise, or one step in a sequence.